Laurence Manning Academy

Laurence Manning Academy is a private school in Manning, South Carolina. It was founded as a White-only school shortly after the integration of public schools and remains almost completely White.[1][2][3]

History

In 1972, organizers chose the name Laurence Manning after revolutionary war hero Laurence Manning, the grandfather of John Laurence Manning, for whom the town was named.[4] Laurence Manning Academy was first accredited by SCISA in 1973, an organization that was set up to legitimize segregation academies.[5]

In 1979 two students from another private school in Manning burned LMA's main building to the ground.[6][7]

As of 1990, the IRS had still not granted tax-exempt status to LMA because it was considered a segregated school.[8]

Organizations

The school is a chapter of the National Beta Club.[9]

Sports

The school offers the following sports: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Soccer and Softball.

The Billy Chitwood Memorial Field (formerly known as Swampcat Field) hosts the academy's football teams.[10] It was posthumously-renamed in 1976 after one of the academy's inaugural students and athletes: James William "Billy" Chitwood, who had passed away two years prior from injuries received in an automobile accident.[11]

The Bubba Davis Gymnasium hosts the school's basketball teams. It was ceremoniously-named and dedicated on November 25, 2003 after Thomas Marion "Bubba" Davis, Jr., a longtime staff member of the academy.[12]

The Julie Skoler Memorial Field hosts the academy's softball teams. It was ceremoniously-dedicated and named on April 30, 2004 after another one of the academy's inaugural students and athletes: Julie Carole Skoler,[13] who had passed away in 1976 from complications of injuries received in an automobile accident three weeks prior.[14]

Retired numbers

The Swampcats have retired three of its numbers in the history of its franchise:

  • [3] Julie Skoler (Basketball and Softball)
  • [33] Thomas "Bubba" Davis (Basketball)
  • [51] Billy Chitwood (Football)[15]

Demographics

As of the 2019–2020 school year, 890 of 927 or 96% of students in Kindergarten through grade 12 were White while 23, or less than 2.5% were Black.[16] The public school district, Clarendon 02, had a student body population that was 47% Black and 46% White.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Baker, Robert Joseph (June 9, 2016). "Manning Training School alumni dedicate historic plaque". Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ Canup, William Shane (2015). "The Geography of Public-Private School Choice and Race: A Case Study of Sumter, Clarendon, and Lee Counties, South Carolina" (PDF). Retrieved August 6, 2020. Laurence Manning Academy tends to fit the general profile of a segregation academy, as it was founded during the era of integration, has an predominately white enrollment, and has a general non-denominational Christian affiliation
  3. ↑ Bowman, Kristi L. (2015). The Pursuit of Racial and Ethnic Equality in American Public Schools. Michigan State University Press. ISBN 978-1611861808.
  4. ↑ "Laurence Manning Academy in South Carolina named after Revolutionary War Hero". The Item. April 29, 1972. p. 2.
  5. ↑ "Laurence Manning Academy Accredited by SCISA, an organization setup to enable segregation academies". The Item. January 26, 1973. p. 4.
  6. ↑ "Two juveniles burn down Laurence Manning Academy". The Item. November 8, 1979. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "Laurence Manning Academy arson. Building ransacked and burned". The Item. November 5, 1979. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Laurence Manning Academy still didn't have tax-exempt status in 1990". The Item. March 6, 1990. p. 1.
  9. ↑ https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/sid_18901_1985_0019?usePUB=true&_phsrc=etX500
  10. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/670120384/
  11. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/669687924/
  12. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/670134571/
  13. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/670131792/
  14. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/984569700/
  15. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/670120386/
  16. ↑ "NCES school ID 01264142". NCES.ed.gov. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022.
  17. ↑ "NCES Clarendon School District 02". NCES.ed.gov. NCES. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.

33°42′33″N 80°13′13″W / 33.70915°N 80.22028°W / 33.70915; -80.22028


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